Lapses in former President Zail Singh's security may prove fatal

Lapses in Zail Singh's security could prove fatal.

As former President Zail Singh lay hovering between life and death
in a Chandigarh hospital, the state Government was busy trying to cover up the
obvious lapses that led to the accident.

Singh's bullet-proof car was hit head-on by a truck on November 29 near Ropar
in Punjab when he was returning from a visit to Anandpur Sahib. As the ambulance
supposed to be accompanying him was at the Ropar rest-house where he was to halt
en route to Chandigarh, Singh could not be taken to a hospital for an
hour-and-a-half.

The delay might prove fatal. "His condition is still precarious due to
multiple irregularities in his body systems," Dr B.N.S. Walia, director of
Chandigarh's PGI hospital, said on December 11. The previous day, Singh had to
be put on dialysis for renal malfunctioning, and doctors suspect his kidney
might fail irreversibly if the fluctuations in his blood pressure continue. He
continues to suffer from fever, chest congestion and clots in his veins.

Doctors are also worried that Singh is lapsing into progressively longer
periods of drowsiness. "He is not in a coma, but is giving very feeble
responses," says one of his doctors. Singh has currently been put on different
life support systems, making it difficult for him to be shifted to AIIMS, New
Delhi.

The shifting of the blame, however, has started in right earnest. "The
Government was in the dark about his unscheduled visit to Anandpur Sahib," says
a senior Punjab official. Officials, in fact, blame Singh's family for the lack
of prior information about his programme.

Singh's frequent journeys had apparently slackened the security drill and
this time, he was accompanied only by two personal security officers and no
medical expert despite being a heart patient. However, Ropar police chief Ajit
Singh Sandhu maintains that "despite short notice, the police observed full
drill for VIP security".

Initially, the state Government had satisfied itself with an inquiry by the
Ropar SP. It was only after MPs, cutting across party lines, raised the issue in
Parliament, that the Government ordered a "comprehensive probe" by the state
home secretary.

Another inquiry, conducted by the IG (Intelligence), has ruled out any foul
play in the incident. But it glosses over the failure of the local
administration to provide an ambulance to Singh's entourage and to "sanitise"
his route.

The accident also gave rise to petty political squabbles. While senior
Congress(I) leader Buta Singh demanded a CBI probe, Chief Minister Beant Singh
upbraided him for his "irresponsible and immature" statements.

The only people reluctant to talk about the accident are Singh's family.
"It's up to the authorities to see if there was any lapse. Our concern is only
for his health," says Dr Gurdip Kaur, Singh's elder daughter.

There is no dearth of VIPs in the country who are provided with elaborate
security which is being paid for with taxpayers' money. The least that can be
done is to ensure that the money is well spent.

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